We get the granddaughters next week for three days......

My son in law was traveling with his work, and I volunteered to babysit while she picked him up at the airport last night. I spent the night and had a great time with the three and six year old planning what we will do for three days.

The six year old brings a piece of paper over, and says that we must make a list of what we are going to do. So we decide we will go to a movie. We decide we will make a campfire and cook marshmellows. We decide that we will collect sticks to make the fire, and pick out good sticks to cook the marshmellows. We decide to make popcorn. We decide to take the golf cart and look for coyotes, and coyote burrrows. We also decide that we need to make a coyote trap with a box.......painted to look like a bush, with a stick which will catch a coyote pup, which needs to be in view of one of the outdoor security cameras which must be near the automatic gate, which will allow the girls to push the gate button inside while watching on tv which will have the box drop on the coyote puppy which they want to keep........I kid you not the free flow imagination of these two kids were incredible.

So at 6 am the three year old is all dressed and has her special shoes on to go in the river looking for clams asking my daughter who was still asleep when she gets to leave for papa's house........My daughter brings her down to the basement where she just cannot stop talking about how to build the coyote trap, and shortly thereafter an hour and a half before school the six year old is down stairs making sure I make another list.

I leave and tell the story to my wife, who goes out an buys two kites, and then goes and buys this incredible stuffed coyote pup, and then we scheme on how we will hide the stuffed coyote behind some cut firewood on the driveway, take a kite string and attach it to the stuffed coyote, and my wife will sneak outside and hide behind the dumpster and pull the coyote slowly to the box with stick and then I will get the girls attention, hand them the gate button which will cause the gate to close and pull the box on top of the stuffed coyote......we will then quietly sneak up to the box, and put my hand under the box, and pretend that the coyote is fighting with me and biting me as my wife jumps out and I hand them their stuffed coyote pup. We will be practicing the coyote pull on the string all weekend until we perfect the trap, gate closing the trap, and my wife hiding out of camera range..........the excitement of these kids on their first coyote pup trap is only matched by peg leg and dead man walking's excitement to make a lasting memory with the grandkids.......

I also learned this morning that coyote pups do not like cheeseburgers. We will need to put a regular hamburger under the box trap.......I was disappointed because I like cheeseburgers.....of course getting a hamburger was put on the list.

Aren't they great? My granddaughter just turned 7 and we play Spongbob hangman and tic tac toe for hours and she beats me most of the time. She acts like I am the same age as her and says things like "Ok Nana-let's run back to the house. I'll beat you." Oy vey! And she always does.

Aren't they great? My granddaughter just turned 7 and we play Spongbob hangman and tic tac toe for hours and she beats me most of the time. She acts like I am the same age as her and says things like "Ok Nana-let's run back to the house. I'll beat you." Oy vey! And she always does.



It is a special time for the grandchildren and the grandparents.......priceless. I never understood people bragging about their children(I was bad), but I completely understand grandparents talking about their grandchildren......it is the passing of the torch.

Great story Mr. Oats . . . . . my two grand daughters were here on the island with us for their spring break . . . . the oldest is 17 and is set to go the Western in Bowling Green (full scholarship as an honors student) and the ten yr old troublemaker who is delightful . . .. we love them so much! The youngest insisted sleeping with us which did not please me but I lost that vote and endured her kicking and squirming all night . . . . . we had a blast and hated to see them leave.

Precious Seaoat just precious......

The youngest insisted sleeping with us which did not please me but I lost that vote and endured her kicking and squirming all night . . . . . we had a blast and hated to see them leave.


They do love sleeping with their grandparents. My wife has this enormous king size bed, and of course for the last six years I have been sleeping in the lazy boy, but they were talking last night how they wanted the two dogs, mimi(peg leg), and their dolls in the "big" bed. I used to simply melt when both of them at two would get up in my chair and fall asleep on my chest after watching ubtubes and reading stories, and I completely understanding the squirming and kicking, because they always find my liver. Now that they are both older, as the grandsons do also....they ask Papa.....where is your ow wie.......which I point out and get kicked, elbowed, and beat on every other inch of my body......but that euphoric feeling would always be interrupted by my daughter who would quietly whisper......I did not put her diaper on yet.......as they were sound to sleep.

2seaoat wrote:The youngest insisted sleeping with us which did not please me but I lost that vote and endured her kicking and squirming all night . . . . . we had a blast and hated to see them leave.


They do love sleeping with their grandparents.  My wife has this enormous king size bed, and of course for the last six years I have been sleeping in the lazy boy, but they were talking last night how they wanted the two dogs, mimi(peg leg), and their dolls in the "big" bed.  I used to simply melt when both of them at two would get up in my chair and fall asleep on my chest after watching ubtubes and reading stories, and I completely understanding the squirming and kicking, because they always find my liver.  Now that they are both older, as the grandsons do also....they ask Papa.....where is your ow wie.......which I point out and get kicked, elbowed, and beat on every other inch of my body......but that euphoric feeling would always be interrupted by my daughter who would quietly whisper......I did not put her diaper on yet.......as they were sound to sleep.

Beautiful Mr. Oats . . . . simply beautiful . . . . . . life is good . . . . that is your message!

Daughter had a birthday party in Iowa for one of her nieces and stopped by with my granddaughters......we will not get them until Monday night for three nights, but they could not stop talking about getting a coyote pup in their coyote trap. So I tell them we have to lead the coyotes up to the house from the river, so my wife had thrown some old bread away, and we took the bread all the way out to the far island where the coyotes live(they now live on the other side of the river) and they begin leaving bread crumbs all the way back to the house.....you see the coyote pup will follow the bread crumbs to the house and Tuesday we will bait the trap with a hamburger. We showed them the box, and they are all excited about painting it to look like a bush, and they are going to work on cut outs to paste on the box at my daughter's house Sunday.

We also stopped at shell island and went looking for clam shells. The river is scary low and gravel sand bars had plenty of shells.....I told them that if they find a live one they may have a pearl inside.....this is the first time they heard about pearls, and they looked for live clams and saw goose prints in the mud with racoon prints......they are living the adventure, and next week will be special.

2seaoat wrote:Daughter had a birthday party in Iowa for one of her nieces and stopped by with my granddaughters......we will not get them until Monday night for three nights, but they could not stop talking about getting a coyote pup in their coyote trap.  So I tell them we have to lead the coyotes up to the house from the river, so my wife had thrown some old bread away, and we took the bread all the way out to the far island where the coyotes live(they now live on the other side of the river) and they begin leaving bread crumbs all the way back to the house.....you see the coyote pup will follow the bread crumbs to the house and Tuesday we will bait the trap with a hamburger.  We showed them the box, and they are all excited about painting it to look like a bush, and  they are going to work on cut outs to paste on the box at my daughter's house Sunday.

We also stopped at shell island and went looking for clam shells.  The river is scary low and gravel sand bars had plenty of shells.....I told them that if they find a live one they may have a pearl inside.....this is the first time they heard about pearls, and they looked for live clams and saw goose prints in the mud with racoon prints......they are living the adventure, and next week will be special.

It will be a great coyote adventure.....with a life time of memories.

2seaoat wrote:Daughter had a birthday party in Iowa for one of her nieces and stopped by with my granddaughters......we will not get them until Monday night for three nights, but they could not stop talking about getting a coyote pup in their coyote trap.  So I tell them we have to lead the coyotes up to the house from the river, so my wife had thrown some old bread away, and we took the bread all the way out to the far island where the coyotes live(they now live on the other side of the river) and they begin leaving bread crumbs all the way back to the house.....you see the coyote pup will follow the bread crumbs to the house and Tuesday we will bait the trap with a hamburger.  We showed them the box, and they are all excited about painting it to look like a bush, and  they are going to work on cut outs to paste on the box at my daughter's house Sunday.

We also stopped at shell island and went looking for clam shells.  The river is scary low and gravel sand bars had plenty of shells.....I told them that if they find a live one they may have a pearl inside.....this is the first time they heard about pearls, and they looked for live clams and saw goose prints in the mud with racoon prints......they are living the adventure, and next week will be special.

No offense but I think a bounty should be placed on coyotes Mr. Oats, they have destroyed all the game birds. In KY it was just a part of the natural sounds of nature to hear a BobWhite whistle but no more the coyotes are on the prowl virtually everywhere.

knothead wrote:

2seaoat wrote:Daughter had a birthday party in Iowa for one of her nieces and stopped by with my granddaughters......we will not get them until Monday night for three nights, but they could not stop talking about getting a coyote pup in their coyote trap.  So I tell them we have to lead the coyotes up to the house from the river, so my wife had thrown some old bread away, and we took the bread all the way out to the far island where the coyotes live(they now live on the other side of the river) and they begin leaving bread crumbs all the way back to the house.....you see the coyote pup will follow the bread crumbs to the house and Tuesday we will bait the trap with a hamburger.  We showed them the box, and they are all excited about painting it to look like a bush, and  they are going to work on cut outs to paste on the box at my daughter's house Sunday.

We also stopped at shell island and went looking for clam shells.  The river is scary low and gravel sand bars had plenty of shells.....I told them that if they find a live one they may have a pearl inside.....this is the first time they heard about pearls, and they looked for live clams and saw goose prints in the mud with racoon prints......they are living the adventure, and next week will be special.

No offense but I think a bounty should be placed on coyotes Mr. Oats, they have destroyed all the game birds.  In KY it was just a part of the natural sounds of nature to hear a BobWhite whistle but no more the coyotes are on the prowl virtually everywhere.

We have plenty of coyotes in Gulf Breeze.

We have plenty of coyotes in Gulf Breeze.



Do not worry.....Papa and his two Coyote trappers are going to trap some Tuesday........when the word gets to Gulf Breeze, they will all head back to the West. I had no use for them the first five years I owned the property because their burrows could break a person's leg in the high grass.....I took the bobcat and filled and leveled their burrows and they crossed the river to the woods on the other side . They howl and screech when they kill something, but they pretty much stay off the islands.....I have never shot at them and have gently pushed them to the other side of the river......our problem up here are dogs running in packs attacking livestock.....dogs are much more dangerous in a pack than the coyotes.

Home Run for Seaoat and Peg leg!

It is wonderful when a plan works. All afternoon running with the dogs, collecting sticks for our marshmallow roast, and looking for my daughters dog who jumped into the main channel chasing geese....half hour later we got her on shore......determined goose hunter and she was exhausted......granddaughters helped collect the sticks and start the fire......had our marshmallows and then went back to the house to make our Coyote pup trap.

We get the box, the stick, the salami and peanut butter sandwich, a string to pull the box down, and our stuffed coyote toy. Get the girls in front of the security camera, give them gloves so the coyote pup will not bite them when I bring it in from under the box....put on my gloves, and my wife who is hidden outside pulls the string, the box falls on the toy coyote, and the girls scream Papa...Papa....Papa......the box fell down on the coyote....so I leave the house with a garbage bag and gloves......grab the coyote, as the kids watch on the security system, and then they run to the big bed where we practiced keeping the coyote pup on the big bed, and put their gloves on so the pup will not bite them......Papa comes into the room and starts fighting with the bag with a tail sticking out.......their eyes are as big as half dollars as out pops the toy coyote.......PRICELESS......do not need another day......perfection, and two really happy granddaughters who really did not want to take a pup from its mother.....Priceless.....

I live in the city of Pensacola. I have a feral cat and did have another one until she didn't make it after delivering her kittens. I sent the kittens to a shelter, but I couldn't find her. She had complications...rejected the kittens. I am sad because we had a bond. Meanwhile, I still have the feral dad, who will hang out with me but leave if he thinks I'm coming close to him. My neighbor has acquired a stray rooster. I have a possum that eats the leftover catfood. There's also a bunny living in the alley...at least there was a few days ago. I honestly never know what's going to show up here...snakes, racoons, and of course the wonderful wharf rats.

2seaoat wrote:Home Run for Seaoat and Peg leg!

It is wonderful when a plan works.  All afternoon running with the dogs, collecting sticks for our marshmallow roast, and looking for my daughters dog who jumped into the main channel chasing geese....half hour later we got her on shore......determined goose hunter and she was exhausted......granddaughters helped collect the sticks and start the fire......had our marshmallows and then went back to the house to make our Coyote pup trap.

We get the box, the stick, the salami and peanut butter sandwich, a string to pull the box down, and our stuffed coyote toy.  Get the girls in front of the security camera, give them gloves so the coyote pup will not bite them when I bring it in from under the box....put on my gloves, and my wife who is hidden outside pulls the string, the box falls on the toy coyote, and the girls scream Papa...Papa....Papa......the box fell down on the coyote....so I leave the house with a garbage bag and gloves......grab the coyote, as the kids watch on the security system, and then they run to the big bed where we practiced keeping the coyote pup on the big bed, and put their gloves on so the pup will not bite them......Papa comes into the room and starts fighting with the bag with a tail sticking out.......their eyes are as big as half dollars as out pops the toy coyote.......PRICELESS......do not need another day......perfection, and two really happy granddaughters who really did not want to take a pup from its mother.....Priceless.....

You and Mrs. Oats......priceless.

I honestly never know what's going to show up here...snakes, racoons, and of course the wonderful wharf rats.


We live with amazing animals as we rush through our lives we often do not take the time just to watch them, and the world they live.  The most precious thing about this experience today was as we got closer to actually trapping the coyote pup, the three year old got more concerned that the pup should be with its mother.....if children are introduced to the beauty of the world we live and the animals which occupy the same, it is a life time experience which will serve them well......not too keen on wharf rats or racoons.......

Not much wind this morning, but we got the kite flying in.........the girls had fun and my daughter's dog again decided to chase geese in the main channel of the river with a very swift current......dumb as a rock and it is amazing that two pups from the same litter can be polar opposites. Our dog just goes into the river for a little swim near the shore, where dumb as rocks goes into the middle of the river and swims after geese who are laughing their tail feathers off because she makes no progress and wears her self out and ends up floating two hundred yards away.

This time a year the geese have paired up and are looking for nesting sites. The dogs and coyotes are a threat to that process, so we will be glad when my daughter's dog returns home. I have no use for geese and consider them flying rats, and love the sounds of shotguns in the fall from boats as hunters get a goose for dinner, but I hate to disrupt their nesting cycle. Goose poop also seems to attract our dog to the inevitable shoulder roll into something gross and smelly which means the usual bath. The granddaughters leave at 4pm and my wife and I are exhausted.......unfortunately my wheezing was particularly bad today....not a good sign, but I am so happy I could spend this time with them.

2seaoat wrote:Not much wind this morning, but we got the kite flying in.........the girls had fun and my daughter's dog again decided to chase geese in the main channel of the river with a very swift current......dumb as a rock and it is amazing that two pups from the same litter can be polar opposites.  Our dog just goes into the river for a little swim near the shore, where dumb as rocks goes into the middle of the river and swims after geese who are laughing their tail feathers off because she makes no progress and wears her self out and ends up floating two hundred yards away.

This time a year the geese have paired up and are looking for nesting sites.  The dogs and coyotes are a threat to that process, so we will be glad when my daughter's dog returns home.  I have no use for geese and consider them flying rats, and love the sounds of shotguns in the fall from boats as hunters get a goose for dinner, but I hate to disrupt their nesting cycle.  Goose poop also seems to attract our dog to the inevitable shoulder roll into something gross and smelly which means the usual bath.  The granddaughters leave at 4pm and my wife and I are exhausted.......unfortunately my wheezing was particularly bad today....not a good sign, but I am so happy I could spend this time with them.

As I have said before the memories you are creating will pass down from your granddaughters to their children. You are and will always be the center of their hearts.

As I have said before the memories you are creating will pass down from your granddaughters to their children. You are and will always be the center of their hearts.



My wife and I are exhausted. Their energy levels are limitless. It will take us both laying around all weekend to recover. I will go back to work Thursday, and will be happy because work is easier than keeping ahead of two active grandchildren.....that kite flying did me in.........

Now it is going to be fishing.....right when I thought I could rest......My granddaughters reminded me fishing was on the list......hope we can catch something in the hour and a half before dad picks them up......Wife is picking up some worms......now tangled lines, impatience, and when are we going to catch a fish papa.....begins.......way too much energy.

We caught a fricking tree branch, and they lost interest immediately after I asked them to put the worms on the hook.....so I get the worms on and cast....one snags a tree, the other says.....Papa I do not want to fish anymore and proceeds to play along the shore.......slips and scrapes her knee and wants to go in.........one of these days we are actually going to catch a fish.

I love spending time with the grandkids, too. The oldest will be 7 right after Easter. The youngest is 1-1/2 and hardly ever slows down. Recently went to my granddaughter's school play...all 1st graders...I thought she would be in the background the whole time, but suddenly she was front and center...has taken ballet and hiphop dance, so she is already used to the stage. Then there was book fair. I will most likely have them for Easter dinner and of course will make a cake for her birthday. My youngest daughter will be here from ND mid-month...we may have to have a 2nd birthday party then so she can dote on her niece. But I surely know what you mean about the energy levels.

Enjoy those grandkids......they are precious gifts. I remember my daughter bringing the entire Christmas song to a halt at the school Christmas show by giggling which spread like wildfire......the teacher had to come onto stage and stop the kids from laughing at my daughter....about this time it was contagious and the audience was laughing uncontrollably......It was not one of those proud parent moments, but enjoy every minute and enjoy your Easter weekend. We will rest this weekend....we are exhausted.

The visit just ended and they could not tell their dad enough about all their adventures and catching the Coyote puppy which they took with them......which my wife had a half hour alarm when they would give the pup to the other......all day.....my turn.